This invention pertains to spinning shot gun projectiles. It pertains particularly to bullets for use in shot gun shells which spin as they travel through the air, thereby insuring their flight in a straight and true trajectory.
As is well known, rifles are provided with spiral grooves on the interior of the gun barrel. This rifling imparts to the rifle bullet a rotational motion or spinning which causes it to travel on a true course.
However, in the case of shot guns which are intended to fire shot in a characteristic pattern, the interior of the gun barrel is smooth and devoid of rifling. As a result, if for special purposes it is desired to fire a bullet or slug from the shot gun, the projectile tends to wobble and turn end over end during its flight. Consequently, it does not travel in a true course.
Attempts heretofore have been made to overcome this problem. Thus in U.S. Pats. Nos. 3,063,376, 3,394,905 and 3,398,682, shot gun bullets or slugs are described which spin when they are fired. However, the spinning motion is caused by the passage of the gases resulting from combustion of the powder through ports, or against interior vanes, associated with the bullet. The effect of the combustion gases is momentary and transitory, occuring only during the initial impulse applied to the bullet when the gun is fired. As a consequence, erratic motion of the bullet during its flight still occurs.
Still another problem resides in the fact that current rifled shot gun slugs are made of solid lead. As they pass from the muzzle of the gun barrel they collapse. This may distort them so that they travel in inaccurate paths. Also, since different shot gun barrels have different sized (choked) muzzle diameters, the current types of slugs will fit tightly in some and loosely in others.
It is the general purpose of the present invention to provide a shot gun projectile or slug which is caused by air impingement to spin during its entire projectory, thereby achieving the effect of gun barrel rifling without such rifling being present, and insuring that the projectile will travel straight and true to the target.
Another important object of the present invention is the provision of a shot gun projectile assembly including a projectile and associated wad means which transmits the propellant force to the projectile centrally and forwardly thereof, thereby further insuring that the projectile will travel without wobble and without turning end over end.
Other objects of the present invention include the provision of a spinning shot gun projectile which with a given charge of propellant travels more accurately, with greater velocity, and has greater penetration; which spins during its entire flight; which separates rapidly and cleanly from the wad means as soon as it leaves the gun barrel; which fits all sizes of choked gun barrels; which will not collapse permanently on leaving the gun muzzle; which is safe in use; and which can be manufactured at relatively low cost.